Ride Across Tennessee

The yellow line is the line separating Kentucky and Tennessee 

Starting point: Fulton, KY and South Fulton, TN
Ending point: “Welcome to Mississippi” sign on Highway 22 South
Approximate distance: 125 miles

Notes from a February 5, 2016, scouting trip:

• The ride will start at the intersection of Broadway and State Line Street. 
• There is a large parking lot by an insurance agency. 
• We will take Broadway south. It turns into 45E South.
• Around 20 miles in there is an Exxon Station at Dresden

  

  This is how much of northern 70 miles look

• Around 45 miles we will come to Huntington. We could go the 22 business, but it is a bit narrow and slightly confusing. The other option–preferred in my opinion–is to take the bypass. It will probably add 2 miles to the trip, but there are gas stations and food option. The business portion has neither.

(Because I measured everything based on the going the business way, my mileage estimates from now on are truly estimates. I am going to add 2 miles to every note I made, thinking this is what the bypass adds.)

There are bike route signs for most of the course

• There is a gas station around 58 miles.
• There is a gas station around 64 miles at Parker’s Crossroads. This is where we will cross I-40. There are some food options also: DQ, Subway, McDonalds.
• There is a gas station around 71 miles at Lexington.
• There is a gas station around 75 miles.
• Around the 77 mile mark, the road goes to 2 lanes without shoulders. It appears to be lightly traveled. It is straight, hilly, and provides lots of visibility for cars.
• A rumble strip at the very edge of the lane is added about mile 86.
• There is a gas station around mile 95. The rumble strip stops for a while beginning here.
• Around mile 96 a wide shoulder begins.
• Around mile 104 we will have 4 lanes for about a mile.
• Around this point, we will go straight onto 117 after stopping at stop sign. We could take 22, but it is longer and less safe in my judgment. This in Adamsville. Just a note: this is Buford Pusser’s hometown, and they are proud of it. We should be careful. I’m not sure how they will feel about men in bright tight clothes with lycra shorts.
• We begin 2 lanes again, and we will have them the rest of the way.
• Around mile 111 we will take 142 East  There is a “bike route” sign again!
• There is a gas station around 114. We turn right onto 22 South for the final push.
• There is a gas station around 122 at Acton.
• The “Welcome to Mississippi” sign is right around 125 miles. Less than a mile down the road is a good place to load up, etc. This is where 22 intersects Highway 2.

Corinth is about 10 miles away and has lots of eating options, etc. It seems a lot like Bedford from what I could tell by driving around briefly.

That’s what I know about the course! Now, we need to nail the day/time down. Then we can start figuring out where to stay, etc.

If there are any macho men in the group, you could spend the night in Corinth and then ride the Natchez Trace trail back to Nashville. It is a 100 miles from the Alabama line to Nashville. It is a relatively short drive over to The Trace from Corinth. Of course, you could hop on the Trace and keep going south also.